We look forward to working together as you build your family through an international adoption. At Adopt-A-Child, we understand that the adoption process can at times feel confusing. We pride ourselves in offering ongoing support and guidance from the moment that your adoption journey begins until you are safely home with your child. Our experienced staff of Directors, social workers and case managers has expertly assisted our families for the past 16 years. We have created a program to simplify the process as we guide you through every aspect of the adoption.   

When you choose to work with Adopt-A-Child, our Clinical Director, Laura Ellman,  will contact you and explain what to do and where to begin! Both Laura and our Executive Director, Sofiya Girel, are available to answer all of your questions and they work closely with our families throughout the adoption process.

In addition, you will be matched with an Adopt-A-Child caseworker to assist you as you gather and complete all required documents. We will certify, apostile and translate all of the documents that are needed for your adoption dossier. You simply provide us with your documents and we will do the rest!

We have created a 10-week, online pre-adoption course which is specific to our adoption programs. Each week, our Clinical Director will e-mail questions which correspond to a chapter in your class book. She will review your answers and then respond with additional information and answer any questions that you may have. We have found that our families enjoy our individualized approach to our pre-adoption class.

We encourage our families to request the age and gender of the child whom they are hoping to adopt. We will contact you when we believe that we have a child that will be a good fit for your family. We will provide as much information as possible to ensure that you are comfortable with your child and will do our best to individualize the process according to your wishes.

When it is time to travel to Russia we will recommend a travel agency to make your flight and lodging arrangements and to process your visa. Our Clinical Director will conduct a detailed travel orientation before you leave and you can be confident that there will be no surprises during your trip! You will be met at the airport by one of our staff, and an Adopt-A-Child Coordinator will be with you as you complete all adoption related activities. Our Russian Coordinators speak English and work exclusively with our Agency and our families.

We have brought over 1,000 children and parents together since 1992 and we are extremely proud of our Russian adoption programs. We are so pleased that you have chosen to work with Adopt-A-Child and we look forward to assisting you during this special time.

Sincerely,

Sofiya Girel

Executive Director

Location:
Children’s homes and orphanages in Moscow,
St. Petersburg Region and other areas in the western part of the country.

Age of children:
Twelve months and up.

Length of process after INS approval:
2-8 Months for a Boy
8-10 Months for a Girl

Eligibility requirements:
Single woman and married couples where 1 parent is no older than 50 years when adoption file is opened.

Health:
All children are tested for Hepatitis B+C, HIV and syphilis.
Independent medical exam is available and can be done by American or European clinics.

Estimated travel time:
Two trips with length determined by the region where your child is living.

"We had a wonderful time in Russia, and enjoyed our stay there much more than we expected. The sights were beautiful, the people were extremely friendly, and, of course, we brought home our Aviva, the most precious souvenir of any trip we ever took!"

Marcy & Jonathan Wander, parents of Aviva